


Bound by Magic

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-25
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-04-23 06:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4867298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The final year at Hogwarts was meant to be uneventful. But it seems that fate has something for Harry to yet discover. What happens when he can hear Draco Malfoy's thoughts? Will they kill each other, or become friends? With Bellatrix on the loose, there is no time to spare as Aurors are stretched to the limit and Hogwarts repairs it's damage. Can Harry stand living with Draco? Or will they kill each other before the term ends?<br/>Sorry- on hiatus right now :(</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ay! I've actually done one chapter! *clap* *clap* The thing is, Draco only heard the first part of their conversation, that they agreed to be an animagus, and left after that. I don't know when I can post again, probably by next week at the latest. Don't take my word for it. You'll be sorely dissapointed.
> 
> I am in Australia as well, so just don't think "Hey, it's the summer holidays, shouldn't more chapters come out?" Because you lucky chaps get sunshine and I'm shivering here in winter. Lol I enjoy fanfics about Draco and Harry, probably more adventure than fluff, please review your fanfic names coz' I might check them out. (I probably will, te he)
> 
> Oh, and I don't hate Draco at all. No matter what you think, I will not abandon this story.

Disclaimer: You seriously think I wrote Harry Potter? The chances of that are the same of me surviving in a cage with snakes. Deadly snakes. ha. ha.

Rain pounded down on the solitary figure standing on the platform. Harry looked around for the familiar mop of red har as he tried in vain to shelter himself and Hedwig. This was it- Voldermort had been defeated, and he could finally be a normal kid at Hogwarts. Though everyone was of age already, they still had to attend seventh-year at Hogwarts and pass their N.E.W.T.s. Crowds of people began pouring in from all directions, a muggle train had boarded, the clock read 10:45 and Kings Cross station was already about as busy and bustling as muggle London.

Hair dripping and carrying a owl, Harry suspected he was quite a sight. Though, everyone went past without staring or whispering. Much. Against Mrs Weasly's wishes, Dumbledore had insisted that Harry get 'back together' with the Dursleys. Oh well, he lived. Giving up hope of finding Ron and Hermione, Harry headed for platform nine and three quarters. Despite the fact that he had gone past many times, a non-magical part of himself kept saying it won't work. You look silly. Blinking, he realised that he was so immersed in his thoughts that he had passed onto the platform. Hogwarts Express sat there cheerfully, almost as if greeting students as they boarded. There was still no sign of Hermione or Ron. Shrugging, Harry decided to save them both seats and hauled his luggage on, trying not to jolt Hedwig too much. She gave a hoot of disdain as her cage was tipped to the left. Feathers sticking up, she flapped her wings, alarmed, as the cage almost toppled down into the platform. Harry quickly grabbed the cage and righted it before turning around, face to face with none other than Draco Malfoy. He sighed, knowing what was going to happen.

Draco sneered at him, leaning nonchalantly as he blocked Harry's way. "Where are your friends, Potter? Are Weasel and the mudblood abandoning you?" Surprisingly, he was here by himself, Blais, Pansy and Goyle weren't with him.

"Don't, Malfoy." Harry muttered, trying to push past him. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy.

"Looking forward to your seventh year, Potter? I bet you're going to be a do-goody Auror afterward. And what of Weasel and Mudblood? They're not worshipped like you, are they?" He smirked as he stared mockingly at him. "There's going to be a surprise this year. I think you'll like it. Oh wait, what a shame. The Goldon Trio will have to split up."

Harry bit back a sharp retort, knowing that if they got into a fight here, nobody would step in. The carriage was deserted. Probably Malfoy's doing. "Give it up, Malfoy. Just let me go." He lifted his trunk with some difficulty before holding it high as to not hit Malfoy's head as he passed. He glared at Draco before turning back around and, this time holding the cage firmly, walked briskly down the aisle and made it into another empty carriage without further interruption. Settling himself down, he looked out of the window just in time to glimpse the clock. It was now 11 am sharp. He hoped that Ron and Hermione were somewhere, looking for him. Suddenly, he remembered. How could he be so daft? He and Hermione were Head Boy and Girl, and Ron was a prefect! They were supposed to meet at the front carriage. Mentally he cursed as he hurried to change, grabbing his uniform and badge. Within minutes, he was at the front carriage, panting slightly. He could see Hermione pacing as she waited for the Head Boy to arrive, Ron's frown (directed at a smug-looking Malfoy), and, surprisingly, Neville Longbottom. As he was not allowed to send letters while he was with the Dursleys("I won't allow it! It will ruin the furniture!"), and in the letter Dumbledore had not mentioned any names, he naturally assumed that nobody else had been informed, either.

Everyone looked up in surprise as he entered the room, even Hermione stopping her pacing to look. Harry smiled sheepishly as he said, "Sorry I'm late. I forgot I was Head Boy for a minute." Ron was positively beaming, Neville looking delighted, and Hermione was trying to scold him. The Slytherins, on the other hand, were less than pleased. Daphne Greengrass had been selected as Head Girl, while, unfortunately, Draco was Head Boy. Hermione cleared her throat, to get their attention. "Well, Head Boy and Girl pair up, and prefects patrol in pairs. Lets go!" Draco scowled at her but left with Daphne without further argument, knowing that she was right. Holding his head high, He strode out porposefully with his nose high in the air. Daphne followed suit, glancing at the Gryffinders with an apologetic, almost friendly look, before hurrying after Draco.

Ron and Neville both started congratulating Harry warmly, Hermione watching with amusement.

"Harry, mate, that's wonderful news!" Ron cheerfuly said.

"That's good, I thought we were against all those Slytherins without you!" Neville visibly relaxed, patting him on the back.

"Thanks, guys. I never thought Malfoy would be Head Boy." Harry grimaced at the though of having to work with him all year.

"Ugh, you would have thought he would stay away from us." Ron muttered.

"Daphne isn't that bad, though." Neville added.

Harry opened his mouth to reply before Hermione got there before him. "If you've quite finished, I think that maybe we should start doing our duties?" She raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"All right, all right, we're going." Ron quickly stepped out of the carriage before she could say anything else. Hermione sighed in frustration. "Boys."

Harry chuckled before saying,"Well, are we going or what?" Hermione huffed before leading the way out, checking in on multiple carriages with seemingly hyperactive third years. He was almost knocked out by a fanged frisbee that came dangerously close to his face before veering away. Hermione was about to speak before a pygmy puff jumped out and sailed towards her before landing on her shoulder. Shocked, she gently lifted it before storming inside. "I'm giving them a piece of my mind," she huffed on her way past. Harry held back his laughter. Hermione would never be seen petting a pygmy puff. A book, maybe. Or Crookshanks. But never something as 'ridiculous' as a pygmy puff, she had told him and Ron over and over.

Two hourse later, they met with Ron and Neville and headed back to the empty carriage Harry had saved. They got there just in time to see the Honeydukes Express coming through, and Harry immediately went to purchase their favourites. A pile of chocolate frogs, liquorice wands, pumpkin pasties, (he had to get Ron to assist him) Packets of Drooble's best blowing gum and even a packet of every flavoures beans, just to touch it up a little. Though the others weakly protested, after a minute of Harry's insisting they gave in and dug into the snacks.

The mood of the carriage remained happy with chat every now and then until the dreaded Draco Malfoy made his appearance the third time that day. Harry gritted his teeth and pointed turned away. Draco went past rudely slamming the doors with Blaise, Pansy and Goyle as the normal jeers and mocking were directed their way. "You know, Dumbledore has just the thing for you when you arrive. In fact, I would tell you if you knew how to listen, but then again, not everyone can be as smart as me." He stated before they closed the compartment door.

"You haven't been told anything, have you?" Harry asked when they were gone.

"Nope," Ron shook his head, grabbing his chocolate frog before it leapt away.

"Neither have I." Neville said.

"Hermione?" Harry prompted.

"Well, when has anything Malfoy said been true?"

"Since the Tri-Wizard tournament?" Harry suggested.

Hermione huffed. "All right. But guys, I have been thinking of this for a while..." She trailed off, seeming unsure.

"What is it?" Ron impatiently looked at her.

"Well... Since Bellatrix is around, and we might need a quick way to escape or go around quietly, I was thinking that we could become an animagus." She looked around, seeing the reactions.

"WHAT?!" Ron spluttered,"It's dangerous! We might get stuck!"

Neville ignored him completely."Well, that's a good idea."

Harry also considered it for a moment."All right, well that isn't the most dangerous thing we've done."

Ron eyed his half-eaten frog warily."As long as we get to choose which animal we want to be."

"All right. I've chosen, I want to be a fox." Hermione announced. "And I have spent all holiday studying this, so don't worry."

The carriage was filled with silence as the three thought about their choice. At last, Harry broke the silence.

"I want to be a coyote." He decided.

"I'll be an owl." Neville looked at Ron expectantly.

Minutes passed, and there was still no response. Ron chewed thoughtfully on a pumpkin pasty, giving no response. "Ron!" they shouted, close to his ear. He jumped a foot off the ground before glaring at them. "I can't decide between snow leopard, or a wolf." He snapped.

"Well, since we have nothing in the cat family, so you're a snow leopard." Hermione chose.

Ron almost choked. "But why do you get to choose?"

"Because you were taking too long, Ron." Neville and Harry both replied.

Ron huffed before grabbing a bean. It was a peculiar shade of green. He made a face, and popped it into his mouth in a display of Gryffindor courage. He almost choked. "I swear, it tastes like moss." He coughed.

"And how do you know it tastes like moss?" Neville joked.

Ron feigned horror and gagged. "Are you suggesting that I've eaten moss before?"

Harry laughed."Seems so, mate."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

And so this went on for the rest of the train ride. What none of them realised was that a pale man with blond hair had left and overheard their conversation. "Oh, this is going to be good." Draco chuckled as he made his way back to his carriage.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so Dumbledore drops the bomb after the feast. All goes surprisingly well after that, but surely it cannot last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I know, you're like *Ohmygosh she FINALLY updated! I have been, absolutely, waiting SOOOO long, I'm gonna kill her...* I know, I apologize, but I'm afraid it's gonna be like this for a while. I keep on feeling like writing, and I sit down, and then something I have to desperately do pops up. Argh!
> 
> I will be including Ron bashing (i don't like his temper), Lucius bashing and Narcissa will be a nice mother. I know, totally unplanned. :D Oh and btw this does not go with the epilogue. Full. Stop. ALSO! DUMBLEDORE DID NOT DIE! The stupid Death Eater's curse sent the stair's roof down and Draco was thrown back. I really like Draco, so he's not gonna be picked on in this fic. Much.
> 
> I'm gonna stop blabbing now, I can see you all rolling your eyes. l;d

The train finally ground to a halt at the Hogwarts station. Harry sighed in relief. He stood up and went to retrieve his luggage, not wanting to be the last one out. He reached up and hauled his trunk down. Whereas 2 years ago he would have teetered and needed help from his friends, he had grown and was no longer a thin boy with uncontrollable hair and sellotaped glasses. (Okay, maybe not the hair bit, but he had gotten some new glasses).

Planting his trunk firmly to ensure that it wouldn't roll away, he carefuly placed Hedwig's cage on top. She hooted in appreciation, lifting her head from under her wing briefly before covering it up again to take a nap. Harry moved out of the way so that Ron, who was impatiently tapping his foot, could retrieve his luggage. This is going to be a very interesting year, he thought, watching as Hermione explained how important the NEWTs were to Neville.

He waited for his friends to get ready then turned and headed out of the compartment. Ron quickly followed, mumbling something about how he was starving, pretending not to see the disbelieving look he got from Hermione. She raised an eyebrow at his attitude bafore heading after him, looking back to check that Neville was following her. The doors slid shut behind them soundlessly.

Harry ignored the admiring stares and glares he received from other students (of course they were Slytherin) and made his way toward the front of the train. Familiar faces could be seen here and there, Lavender Brown, engaged in conversation with Ginny Weasly, Parvati Patil listening intently, Luna Lovegood heading towards the Thestrals with Padma Patil and, Merlin help him, Draco Malfoy with Blaise, Pansy and Goyle climbing into the carriage in front of the one he was about to go in. The famous Malfoy smirk was sent his way as Draco leered at him knowingly. Harry narrowed his eyes at him and pointedly turned away and quickly went into the carriage before an irritated Ron could hex him into oblivion.

It was slightly cramped in the carriage with Neville squashed between his trunk and Harry with Hedwig balanced precariously on top of Harry's trunk. Hermione frowned when she squawked, startled when the Thestrals started moving and she was thrown against the side of the cage.

"Why don't you use a balancing spell, Harry?" Hermione suggested quickly before the cage could be tipped out into the lake.

"Good idea," he replied, taking out his wand. "Statera!"

Hedwig visibly relaxed when the cage righted itself and she could settle down. She almost glared at Harry with disdain as she shuffled into a more comfortable position. He smiled apolagetically and looked out at the sparkling lake when something caught his attention. Below, as Hagrid led the First years on boats to the castle, a small figure of a girl was leaning dangerously close to the edge of the boat. She was waving to her friends and pointing excitedly to something in the water. She reached out to touch the sparkling water and leaned out further. One little sway, and she would fall in.

In fact, she did fall in. He could hear an ear-splitting shriek as she unbalanced and plummeted toward the water. Her companions grabbed at her desperately, clinging onto thin air. Shouts rang out, clearly heard by the surprised boy with ruffled black hair. Hagrid, hearing the commotion, turned around and ignored the dangerous groans the protesting timber emmited. He gripped his pink umbrella tightly, knowing that he could not use it to help. He yelled something which was supposed to calm the startled students down, but only made them panic and scream louder and edge away from the side of the boat. One side sank deep into the lake, the other sticking up. A flailing figure splashing water everywhere brought his attention. Harry mentally cursed himself for not acting sooner, and hastily took out his wand.

His mind blanked. Think, Harry, you idiot, think! What was that spell again? Something starting with Wing... Wingardium... Ah! Wingardium Leviosa! That was it. Harry aimed his wand at the now desperate girl floundering in the water. The Thestrals flew quickly, but he had had lots of practise. He concentrated hard and frowned.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" He scrunched up his nose (like he always did when something was hard) and slowly directed the sopping wet and trembling girl onto the boat. He thought about the next spell he would use for a moment. She was trembling and gasping and everyone on her boat was crowding around her, so he had to use an amplifying spell on his voice. "Magna" he pointed the wand at himself. Cringing and bracing himself for what was to come, he almost whispered, "Stand back, the people on the boat!"

Except it came out like a shout. Thankfully, since he was whispering and his voice was directed towards the bunch of children below, nobody else was disturbed much. The kids, startled, jumped back again for the second time that night. The girl looked up and gasped when he saw the Boy-Who-Lived pointing his wand at her. He ignored the stares that were directed at him and quickly whispered and even softer "Finite." Glad that his voice was back to normal again, he rubbed his sore throat and directed his wand once more at the dripping mess below.

"Calida," he murmured, sending a warming spell her way. Considering that her clothes were still damp, he cast a quick "Siccum," and a "Scourgify," just to be on the safe side. Waving to acknowledge the thanks that must have been shouted his way, although the soon to be First Years didn't know the Magna spell, so he didn't hear it, he withdrew his head before the wind whipped it off his neck. He quickly explained what had happened to a very worried-looking Hermione, a disgruntled Ron rubbing his ears and Neville, who was stroking Hedwig.

"Well, you're off to save people for the rest of your life, it seems!" Neville grinned, nudging Ron. He looked up quickly and, seeing that Harry' voice wasn't a danger to his health anymore, uncovered his ears.

He patted Harry on the back."Well, mate, looks like Neville's right there!" he teased.

"Why are you suddenly in such a good mood, Ron?" Hermione asked, curious.

Ron smiled and replied, "It's almost time for the feast! And remember? Ferret mentioned a surprise ! Just for us Seventh Years!"

All three of them shook their heads at Ron. Typical of him to say something like that. Harry was about to point out that what Malfoy said didn't exactly mean sunshine and rainbows, A.K.A. good news, but the carriage suddenly slowed and stopped. The wide oak doors of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, came into view. Ron immediately scrambled out of the door,his trunk dragged behind him like it weighed nothing at all. After taking a few steps into the great hall, he stopped himself. Blushing almost as red as his hair, he hastily retraced his footsteps and heaved his trunk back up into the carriage he had just left moments ago.

"Eager, eh?" Harry chuckled as he strode towards the Great Hall before Malfoy and his gang could come out. Catching the hint, his friends quickly followed, Ron almost skipping into the Great Hall. When he saw Dumbledore sitting at the head of the staff table, he quickly composed himself and walked in all serious-like toward the Gryffindor table.

Harry took a seat beside him, while Hermione sat with Ginny in front of them. Neville nervously sat beside Harry, obviously praying that he wouldn't smash the plates like last year. Harry, sensing his discomfort, nudged him reassuringly.

Hagrid led the First years into the hall. The sorting hat was sitting on a chair. As soon as everyone was inside, a little flap opened up and it began it's song. Many first years gasped and jumped back for the third time that night. Harry smiled. When the hat finished it's song, Dumbledore stood and began reading from a long list of names.

"Harriet Anderson!"

A familiar girl stumbled forward hesitantly and sat down, placing the hat onto her head. It fell, covering her eyes. A few moments of tension lingered in the air before the hat opened it's flap once more.

"Gryffindor!"

Relieved, the girl almost ran towards the Gryffindor table. As head of house, Harry and Hermione stood up and greeted her warmly. When she saw Harry, she blushed and mumbled a 'thank you' and a 'hello' to Hermione. She anxiously watched her friends when they had their turn. "Gryffindor!" "Gryffindor!" and "Gryffindor!" was called. Relieved, she led her friends to an empty spot and eagerly sat down. Harry smiled again. I must have been like that when I was younger, he thought. Once the sorting was finished, he and Hermione quickly returned to their seats. Chatter started again.

The Great Hall quieted down when Dumbledore cleared his throat. He began his speech.

"Welcome, students, to all those old ones who are returning and those new ones who are starting their first year here today!" His eyes had a familiar twinkle to them when he continued, "The very best of evenings to you all! Before the feast commences, let us sing the school song."

The whole Great Hall was filled with the sound of merry, sad, happy and opra singing as the students sang in their different tunes.

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts, teach us something please, whether we be old and bald, or young with scabby knees, our heads could do with filling, with some interesting stuff, for now they're bare and full of air, dead flies and bits of fluff, so teach us things worth knowing, bring back what we forgot!"

A bunch of Gryffindor second years sang high-pitched, some groups of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs cried all whiny-like, the Slytherins over-exaggerated a variety of posh accents and the Seventh years scowled at the silliness and sang the proper tune. Together, they sounded quite an earful. (a.n: I know theres no such thing. dont complain.)

When the awful chorus quieted down, Dumbledore snapped his fingers and a mouth-watering food appeared on shining white plates. Ron immediately reached for a delicious looking chicken leg lying on a platter directly in front of him. He quickly wrenched off a leg and began chewing contently. After dinner and dessert was served, Dumbledore stood up again. The hall abrubtly quietened down again.

"I hope you have enjoyed your meal as much as I have. Starting school always is an exciting event." He winked at the new students. "But as you might know, the war has changed many people's lives. It is a terribly tradgedy for all of us. But that is why a new law was passed." The students were on the edge of their benches, left hanging.

"The new law says that every seventh year will be paired with another student. They will live together in the same quarters, and their magic will be joined together. They will be able to hear each other's thoughts at times. This will ensure your safety and strengthen your magic greatly, if you work together. That means that every Seventh year, please come up. The Sorting Hat will choose your respective partners."

The heads and prefects stood up first, leading the other hesitant students. Harry took a deep breath, and, despite the stares, walked as calmly as he could manage up to the hat. I've been through worse. I can survive. It can't be that bad, can it? He lifted the hat and placed it on his head. It barely covered his eyebrows, but he could still hear it's voice.

"Ah, Harry, back again?"

Yes, please choose someone I will get along withLast time you gave me a sword. I should be glad I'm not still fighting Voldemort, right? I shouldn't worry.

"Hmmm... Let me think for a minute..." Something bad is going to happen. I can feel it.

Not Slytherin, please, not slytherin... A Ravenclaw! What about Hufflepuff? There are plenty of people I could get paired with!

"It will do you good, I promise..."

What?! It's a Slytherin?! Please, no! he pleaded desperately. Anything but a Slytherin. Gods, what if he got Malfoy?

"DRACO MALFOY!" Speak of the devil.

A deafening silence settled into the room. Whispering erupted from all four tables, students anticipating the argument that was surely to come. It didn't. Dumbledore clapped his hand once, and the voices quietened down.

The world stopped spinning. This was bad, very bad. It was terrible. He looked up and saw Malfoy clenching his fists like he was trying to crush his own hand. His icy grey eyes glared at shocked green ones. Almost trembling, Harry stood up shakily. He handed the hat to Hermione who was watching his reaction, and walked swiftly to Malfoy. He was only an inch or two shorter than the blond, and for that he was thankful. He stared blankly at his friends as they got their partners, Hermione with Ron, Neville with Luna and, sadly, the rest of his friends weren't so lucky. Padma was paired with Pansy, and Dean paired with Daphne. All of them had slightly more luck than he had. But he wouldn't survive this, he knew. He was only acting as a good head. Living with Malfoy? Merlin help him!

When all the partners were chosen, the teachers took the pair away to their living quarters, one by one. Malfoy walked stiffly beside him, his arms held tight against his body almost as if Harry would bite. Because they were the first pair, Dumbledore took them himself. They reached a wooden door with a statue of a silver dragon curled over a large emerald. It blinked up at them and yawned a hello. It was actually pretty impressive, as tall as Harry and about two feet long. It's tail curled around it's front claws and it looked at them expectantly. Harry stroked it's head and it leaned towards him, opening it's jaws and letting out a puff of red and gold sparks. He jumped back and flinched when one of them touched his hand, but felt foolish when the spark did not burn him. Insteady, it exploded into smaller sparkles, almost glitter like, and settled on his hand.

"The password is Dragon Emerald. I expect you not to fight at all during this year. A new class will be fitted into your timetable. A teacher will come in and help you bind your magic together and strengthen it twice a week. For now, good night." And with a whirl of robes, Dumbledore was gone.

"Dragon Emerald!" Malfoy snapped at the dragon, startling it. Huffing in annoyance, it blew some sparks onto the door and it swung open. It looked back at Harry. It opened it's jaws and Harry was more than startled with what came next.

"Hello, Harry."

His eyes widened. "You can speak Parseltongue?"

"Yes, of course I can. I learnt it from my friend, the snake."

Harry looked around. The dragon was right. There was a statue of a snake guarding a nearby door, but it was coiled up and asleep. "Oh. I never noticed."

"Don't worry, maybe I can introduce you one day when he's awake."

"Thank you! How did you know my name, though?"

"The students speak of you all the time. They call you The Savior, The Boy Who Lived and apparently the defeater of Voldemort?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Goodbye, for now, Harry. Your companion, Draco, I believe, is getting rather impatient."

That was true, Harry hadn't noticed Malfoy glaring at him, tapping his foot impatiently. He rolled his eyes and muttered a quick bye to the dragon before walking into their shared rooms. This was going to be a long year.


	3. A Quill Lost- A Temper Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone loses their temper...  
> Nevermind.
> 
> Two people did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a chapter!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do NOT own Harry Potter! JK Rowling does!

Harry stumbled through the crowd of white and black. Spells shot everywhere, jinxs, curses and hexes, not caring who they struck as long as it was on the opposite side. Memories swam through his mind. Hermione's shriek when she realised that Lupin and Tonks were surrounded, rushing off to their rescue without even saying goodbye. That was ten minutes ago. Her mother's heart-breaking cry and a flash of green light, followed by a maniacal cackling and darkness. Sirius, and the surprised look on his face before he vanished into the veil. Fred, laughing and joking about the Deatheaters and then being buried under stone without warning. He shook his head. He needed to be positive. This wasn't the time to dwell on his losses. He had to go fight Voldemort, for Merlin's sake. He continued oushing through the mass of duelling witches and wizards- dark against light, teacher against student.

He quickly scanned the familiar grounds of Hogwarts. Where could Voldemort be? He was probably surrounded by his most trusted Death Eaters, waiting for the Boy-Who-Lived to find him. Squinting his eyes, he could make out a ring of black on top of the hill facing the Forbidden Forest. Five white figures where slowly advancing, on of them holding a shield spell then dropping it to let out a hex of their own. Harry ran towards them, knowing that the War would not end unless he fought and defeated Voldemort. He was half-way there when something crashed down onto his back.

Caught by surprise, he was sprawled underneath his attacker. Growling and cursing he twisted his head around to see who it was. The unmistakable white-blond hair gave it away. "Malfoy," he yelled, "let go of me!" He wriggled around and pointed his wand at his face. Draco just chuckled and snatched it out of his hand, holding it out of his reach.

"Powerless, now, are you, Potter?" He smirked.

He was wrong. During the time he spent with Hermione, he felt a pang of sadness, she had taught him how to use wandless magic. Though he really only knew two spells, one of them would be extremely useful in situations like this. He frowned at the face that had made his life in Hogwarts bad in the past 5 years. He felt the hatred boiling inside him, before he had to let it out. "Imperio!" He shouted. Startled, the young Death Eater on top of him was hit with the spell and immediately relaxed his grip on Harry's wand. Feeling guilty as well as pleasantly surprised, Harry grabbed his wand and scrambled to his feet.

Fight the Dark Side, he ordered Draco with his thoughts.

Let go of me... His reply was quiet, almost as if he had quickly thought it through the mindless bliss of the Imperious curse.

Harry felt immensely guilty. He knew how hard it was to fight the Imperious, and even though he was the enemy, Harry let go of the spell. He knew that Draco would be in a lot of pain, and he slipped into the crowd before Draco could regain his senses. He headed towards the hill again, and he saw the crumpled form of a Death Eater on it. The other Aurors where duelling the Death Eaters. They were fighting fiercely, obeying their master's orders. Voldemort was nowhere to be seen. Confused and frustrated, Harry whirled around to find himself face to face with Nagini. Her tongue flicked in and out, and she lunged, fangs bared. Harry braced himself to feel the venomous poison seep into his veins. He had failed. The Light would surely be defeated now...

A gleaming silver arc caught his attention. Harry stared at his savior with wide eyes. What came into view was even more surprising. Black robe and silver eyes, it was Draco Malfoy.

"Why did you do that?" He spluttered. He received no response.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry woke with a start. He groaned and flipped over. Nightmares haunted his dreams every single day since the War. He needed some dreamless potion if he wanted to have any sleep tonight. He blinked open his eyes. What he saw startled him. The unfamiliar cream carpet and charmed walls (they showed the weather outside) was not what he had expected to see. Oh wait... That's right. He was sleeping in his new room- in a shared mini apartment in Hogwarts with Draco Malfoy. Oh great, he thought. He constantly wondered if he also had those puzzling dreams. Sighing, Harry sat up. The pale sky streaked with pink and orange suggested that it was dawn. He was always an early riser, he supposed.

Yawning, he stretched and rubbed his eyes. He quickly reached for his glasses, and, finding them beside his pillow (thank Merlin he hadn't rolled over and crushed them) placed them on. Immediately the room came into focus- oak walk-in wardrobe, matching oak bed and a smooth oak door leading out to the main room. Harry sat up, throwing the covers off and heading into the bathroom. After he had brushed his teeth (he preferred to brush it than use a Scourgify) and combed his hair twenty times to no avail, he decided to get dressed. Picking out comfortable muggle clothing to wear underneath his robes he put them on and slipped his wand into his sleeve. He crept cautiously over to the door and warily reached toward the door handle. There was no knowing what Malfoy would do, and he bet that a nasty hex or jinx would come flying at him. Wand at the ready, he wrenched the door open.

A flash of light shot toward him and he quickly erected a shield. The 'Protego' was barely out of his mouth before the spell hit. Small electric shocks ran over the shield. It was a stinging hex, and Harry shuddered. Malfoy's spells where powerful, and if he hadn't put all his stregnth into that shield it would have shattered. Smiling despite himself, he wandered around his shared sitting room with Malfoy. Malfoy should have expected him to be ready for some nasty trick like that. He plopped down on a red couch with gold patterns and looked around. A Slytherin colored green couch with silver patterns mirrored the one he was sitting on. There where two study desks on opposite sides of the room, made out of oak yet again. The chairs where also oak, but plump cushions (one red and one green) where magicaly fixed onto the chairs, almost as if deciding for him and Malfoy where they where going to sit. Malfoy wouldn't be caught dead sitting or wearing anything with red on it. Almost as if the color held a deadly Gryffindor disease or something. Furry carpet that changed color around the person who stood on it to match the person's emotions contrasted the leafy forest walls- green against light grey.

Harry looked down at where his feet touched the carpet. A glowing outline of yellow surrounded them, meaning he was happy. A few spots of white indicated that he was also bored. He sighed and cast a time spell. It was around 5 o'clock. Way too early to get ready for classes, yet way too late to go back to sleep. He sighed again and decided to have a walk around the school. It was, after all, his last year here, so why not?

Pulling on his invisibility cloak, he left the shared room and closed the door quietly behind him.

...

By the time he got back it was almost time for breakfast. Who knew time could pass so quickly? Sliding the cloak down his shoulders and folding it into a neat pile, he tried to wake the dragon up.

"Hello? Claw? Are you awake? I need to get back in now!"

No response. Harry tried again a bit louder.

"Claw! Wake up, please! I need to go in!"

His tail flicked to show he had heard Harry before he opened one eye.

"Password?"

"Dragon Emerald."

The dragon twisted the gem in between his claws and the door swung open. Before Harry could thank him, however, he settled back down and curled up again to sleep. Shaking his head slightly at how much the dragon's behavior suited Ron, he walked in. Evidently Malfoy was awake by now, as the door to the bathroom was locked and the shower was running. Taking this opportunity to quickly gather his books before Malfoy came out, he stuffed it quickly into his bag. He had begun to go back out before he realised something was missing. Where was his quill? He muttered a string of curses as he looked under his bed. Nope, not there. He searched all around his room, emptied out his bag and prayed desperately that he had left it on his desk. But still, no quill. Frowning in concentration, he didn't notice the door opening until Malfoy spoke.

"What are you doing, Potter? You're messing up the whole room. Don't forget it's also mine, you know." He drawled.

Slightly startled, Harry calmed himself down before facing his enemy. "Why do you care, Malfoy? It really is none of your business." He snapped.

"A bit touchy today aren't you, Potter? What's wrong?" He mimicked Hermione's voice. "Do you need any help, Harry?"

Harry felt himself growing slightly angrier. "Sod off. We're going to miss breakfast if we start an argument right now."

"Well you're the one who's got parchment and books spilled all over the floor. In this case, you're the one who's going to be late." Malfoy strode into his room and began putting his Slytherin uniform on.

"If you're so concerned, Draco, I am just looking for my quill." Harry shot back. Malfoy turned around with a slight smirk on his face. "You took it, didn't you? Give it back!"

Malfoy waved him off carelessly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

A single look at the clock told Harry that he was already late. "Just give it back, Malfoy. You would've thought that after the war some people might've changed, with their father in Azkaban and all!" He immediately knew that was a sore spot when Malfoy's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Well at least I have a father. I'm surprised you're not off partying with the Mudblood and Weasel."

"Go to hell, Malfoy." He spat.

Malfoy glared at him. "Already there, thanks, Potter."

And that was the last straw. Harry felt his frustration and anger bubble up before it spilled over. Snarling, he aimed a punch at Malfoy's face, hearing a satisfying snap when his nose broke. Surprised and infuriated he leapt at Harry, not caring when they both ended up on the floor. He began pummelling Harry's stomach, raising his fist to break his nose too. Feeling winded Harry rolled to the side and kicked with all his might. Unfortunately, he did not expect Malfoy to crash into one of the heavy chairs. Unbalanced, it toppled over and crushed Harry's wrist. They were in an awkward position. Harry was squashed between the chair and the wall, with Malfoy possibly knocked out cold. He barely registered Hermione and Ron bursting in with McGonnagall, hardly noticed the alarming amount of blood pouring out of Malfoy's nose, didn't really care about the throbbing pain in his arm and stomach. He only had one thought in his mind.

What a great start to the year.


	4. What Happened at the Astronomy Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What really happened at the battle?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't hold back on this one... heh.  
> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in Harry Potter!

Memories swirled around Harry's mind as he drifted in unconsciousness. A few particular tense moments took over and he unwillingly relived them.

Malfoy's hands where shaking. Harry could see that he was having a battle between the danger of loosing his family and the guilt of killing Dumbledore. In the background hoarse screams and cries rang out through the halls. Harry could hear many Crucios and killing curses being shouted. He could not hear the familiar voice of his friends. Trembling, he prayed that they where all right. He wanted to leap out at Malfoy and strangle him, and he probably would have done so if it weren't for the Petrificus spell holding him against the wall.

His Headmaster's piercing blue eyes never moved away from Malfoy. The fact that he could very well be killed then and there never seemed to occur to Dumbledore- his eyes, though, had lost their cheerful twinkle. He was in a very vulnerable position. Hunched against the wall of the Astronomy Tower, he waited patiently for his enemy's son to make his choice. Below the trio voices where steadily getting louder, running footsteps coming up the stairs, and tripping hexes being fired in every direction could be heard.

"Come over to the right side, Draco… You are not a killer." Dumbledore said, his voice steady even though he was leaning heavily on the side of the tower.

Harry watched Malfoy Intently to see his reaction. He was flinching from every sound, looking back over his shoulder fearfully at the door. He hesitated for a long moment, before he lowered his wand. Frustrated tears flowed down his face as he looked pleadingly at Dumbledore. At that moment, a badly aimed curse crashed onto the walls around the trapdoor leading up to where they were. The whole tower shook with the force of the spell, before the fighting abruptly stopped, replaced by screams. Stone bricks began to tumble out, the floor beginning to crumble before Dumbledore looked straight at Harry. The spell immediately lifted, and he ran over to his professor.

"What do we do now?" He yelled, panic overtaking the respect and politeness he had been taught to display. He barely registered the Slytherin blonde's shocked expression.

"We need to leave, and quickly. Draco and I must not be seen, though neither can you." He frowned slightly. "We will have to use disillusioning charms."

He muttered a few words and immediately his and Draco's figure matched the surroundings perfectly. If one looked hard enough, a faint shimmer would be all they got to hint that they where still there.

"Come. We have no time to lose." Dumbledore handed a broom to Harry and mounted one himself. "You will have to share with Draco." Nodding even though he knew they wouldn't see, Harry felt Malfoy mounting the broom behind him. He kicked off and flew into the night, drawing his invisibility cloak tighter around himself. Malfoy was tense and gripping the broom handle tightly, not even caring that someone was already steering in front of him.

"No need to worry, Ferret. I've got this all under control!" Harry furiously whispered. The grip on the handle loosened considerably, though Malfoy shot back a remark nonetheless.

"And where are your friends now, Scarhead? Need Dumbledore to protect you without their watchfulness?"

Harry fumed. He knew he had made a few rash decisions, but there was no need to point out the obvious. "Why is it that every time we see each other we have to argue?"

A disbelieving snort was his answer. "Well in case you haven't noticed, Potter, we can't really 'see' each other right now. Have you finally lost your marbles? And I think that your stupidity would be a start as to why we keep getting into fights."

"Boys," Dumbledore cut in warningly. He was getting weaker by the second, Harry knew, but the old wizard was powerful and Harry also knew that it would take a lot more than the potion guarding the horcrux to kill him. Ducking his head in embarrassment (even though nobody could see him do so) he knew that the childish bickering had to stop. Mumbling an apology, he quickly followed the broom that Dumbledore was riding on. They soared into the night sky, the dark mark clearly visible above Hogwarts. Below them black cloaked figures where shooting spells at the pursuing students. Harry recognized the prefects and the Heads chasing after them. With grim satisfaction he witnessed a tall man fall. He hoped it was Snape. Turning his attention back to steering, he, Dumbledore and Malfoy broke through the wards without any interruptions. The moment they got out and the spell was lifted, though, the relief that Harry felt at escaping successfully was overcome by worry . Dumbledore's face was pale, his hand looked worse than ever and it was obvious that he was about to collapse.

"Sir? Should we go to St Mungos?" He questioned, noting anxiously that the disillusioning charms had been dropped rather abruptly as soon as they had landed.

"Yes, my boy… Though I fear I am not strong enough to apparate…" Those where Dumbledore's last words before he fell to the ground in a dead faint. Looking at Malfoy desperately, he asked, "What do we do now? I can't apparate, and neither can you, how do we get to St Mungos?"

The famous Malfoy smirk was once again on Draco's face. "Who said I couldn't apparate?"

Harry stared at him in desbelief. "We're not meant to know how until we are of age!"

"16 years old is almost legal, and nobody taught me, I taught myself!" Malfoy retorted.

"What happened when you splinched?" Harry asked, slightly curious.

"I got my father, went to hospital, and got fixed. What did you think would happen?"

Harry sighed in frustration. "Well, then, for Dumbledore's sake and yours, just get us to the hospital. AND DON'T SPLINCH US!" He added quickly in alarm when Malfoy drew his wand and prepared to go.

With a huff of annoyance, he felt his arm being grabbed roughly and without warning. He barely had enough time to grip his Headmaster firmly before the suffocating sensation of apparating greeted him…


	5. The First of Many Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor, poor Harry... I wonder what's in store for him! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! It's now the holidays for about 2 weeks so I will post a chapter every 2 days! I hope that suffices.

Harry awoke with a start. Seeing the familiar curtains around his bed that could only mean he was in the Hospital Wing, he groaned. He regretted what he had done to Malfoy, even though he had been provoked. He knew that he should not have lost his temper, and that he had a very serious talking-to as soon as he was recovered. Ignoring the dull throbbing in his head, he sat up. He hissed in pain and immediately regretted it when a sharp pain shot up through his wrist and up his arm. He quickly supported himself using his other hand (thankfully, his wand hand) and gingerly lifted his injured wrist. It was wrapped in a cast and he knew immediately it was broken. Oh, joy. He thought. Shifting his position on the bed so he could lean against the bedpost for support, he leaned over and grabbed his wand off the bedstand. With it's welcomed weight resting in his palm he felt a bit better.

He knew he would soon get bored of staring up at the ceiling, so he quickly cast a Tempus charm, and finding that it was in the afternoon, decided it would be best to tell his friends that he was awake. He closed his eyes and calmed his breathing. Thinking of the last time he had seen them, laughing with their jokes, and flying through the air on his broom, he uttered the well practised spell. With a burst of magic his stag leapt out, illuminating the dim, closed off space. Harry opened his eyes again, feeling the atmosphere suddenly lighten a bit. He let his patronus play around for a minute. It had not gotten a lot of excersize lately as his relatives couldn't stand magic anywhere near them. He had gotten quite close to it and cared for it often because it had saved his life on multiple occasions- without it he would probably be in the hands of a crazy lunatic (Voldemort) and the wizarding world would probably be doomed right now.

He flicked his wand and his stag turned its attention back to him, waiting eagerly for orders.

"Tell Hermione and Ron that I'm okay, please." Harry commanded. It nodded and turned around, passing through the walls of Hogwarts as easily as if it were an illusion. Harry only had to wait for a few minutes before his concerned friends charged into the Hospital Wing earning more than one glare from Madam Pomfrey. He was immediately pelted with questions from Ron and scoldings from Hermione. They spoke all at once, not waiting for the other to finish before starting themselves.

Ron quickly rushed to him. "Harry, mate, are you all-"

"Why did you do that, Harry? You know-" Hermione cut in, joining her red-haired friend beside Harry's bed.

Ron scowled at her. "Hermione! As I was asking, Malfoy looked pretty beat-"

"It was such a bad example, do you know how hard we had to work to keep the whole school from knowing?" Harry ducked his head. She had a point there- it was only the first day of school, and what would the rest of the year act like to their partner if the two Head Boys couldn't even avoid a fight? What would the whole school think when the half-famous rivalry between former Death Eater Draco Malfoy and war hero Harry Potter didn't get better, if worse, after the hard-fought war? Harry was thankful that he had such caring friends. No doubt if word got out it would be all over the papers. He could almost imagine the front page now, Harry Potter attacked by Draco Malfoy? even worse, he would have reporters swarming over the school asking for interviews. He shuddered. One would have thought that the wizarding world would stop obsessing over him once he fulfilled his fate. But instead, he was still treated like a celebrity.

Smiling slightly, he apologized. "I know, guys, I'm sorry. I just lost my temper. It won't happen again, I promise." Hermione sighed.

"Well, since we could hear Malfoy taunting you, we managed to convince McGonnagal to not give you detention. She did take 5 points from Gryffindor and Slytherin, though." Ron nodded.

"But Harry, what I don't understand is why you had to punch Malfoy like that. Believe it or not," Hermione made a face and grimaced,"It's only the first day back and no matter how much he deserves it, you ought to not have started the fight."

"I know, Mione, but he stole my quill and he wouldn't give it back." Harry sighed. "You know, the one that gives you suggestions and corrects your spelling mistakes? The one that Sirius gave me for my birthday?"

Hermione gave him a pained look. Even Ron was looking at him funnily. "What?" Harry asked.

Hermione just sighed again. "Harry, are you a wizard or not?" Her words took a while to sink in and when they did he groaned and put his face into his hands. A simple summoning charm would have prevented the fight between Malfoy and him. He apologized profusely and, satisfied, Hermione continued.

"And I also asked Dumbledore about-" She lowered her voice." Us becoming Animaguses. He thought it was a brilliant idea and we would also have an extra escape route if we where captured."

Harry waited impatiently for her to continue. "And so, we were going to start today." She pretended to be angry. "But now we can't, because you're injured."

"It doesn't matter! My wand hand is fine!" Harry protested. He had been in worse situations- he was sure he could handle this. Hermione looked doubtful.

"But it requires lots of concentration and mental strain. Are you sure you can handle it?" She eyed him, watching his response carefully. Harry frowned and nodded. He was not going to let some small injury stop his friends plans. And, to tell the truth, he was honestly feeling fine now that he knew the gossip mill wouldn't be running and that he wouldn't have to sit through an hour of McGonnagal's stern speech.

"All right. Meet me at the Room of Requirement at 10 p.m. then." Hermione told him.

Harry shivered and wrapped his cloak tighter around himself and he crept silently up the many flights of stairs. He was used to night-time wanderings, he was just not used to the chill. He ascended the last two steps and made his way to the seventh floor where the door usually appeared. He checked the time. He was about one minute late. He walked past the place, thinking, I need to go to where my friends are. He turned around and retraced his footsteps, repeating the thought over and over in his mind. As he went past the place a final time a door sprung into place. It was unlike any door he had ever seen before.

It had vines curved over the top, forming a sort of arch. Piles of snow lay in a soft blanket beneath it. A dark sky completed the perfect picture of serene nature. Inside it was more breathtakingly beatiful. Leafy green trees stretched their branched out to embrace the dark sky. A pale moon shone down on the softly falling flakes of snow. Stars glittered cheerfully above him and Harry drew in a deep breath. The air smelled crisp and clean, of the earthy scents in a forest, of the sharp coldness after freshly fallen snow, except better, all mixed together. Freedom.

Harry slipped his invisibility cloak off and stepped towards a sheltered clearing. He could see four logs placed in a square and the familiar shock of bushy hair that signalled that Hermione was there. He could also see Neville and Ron seated on their own separate logs. Ron looked tense and ready to bolt, whereas Neville glanced around warily at his surroundings. Harry crunched through the snow and brushed flakes off his glasses as he approached. When he reached the only vacant log We must need space for becoming an Animagus, Harry thought, Hermione quickly ushered him to his seat.

"Why where you late, Harry? We need as much time as possible for this. Come on, everyone! Get your wand out! Now, you're probably wondering why the room is like this. When we first turn into an animagus, it is probably best to be in a habitat that is familiar to the animal you take shape in. If you panic too much, you might get stuck." She winced. "Now picture the animal you want to become clearly in your mind. Don't rush this part, it is very important."

All around him eyes closed and Harry did the same. He pictured the muscles beneath the white and black fur rippling with every movement, of the red and grey head as it flicked up at small sounds humans could not even dream to hear. He could almost hear the drumming of its paws as it ran, swiftly and gracefuly across great distances, the low growl as it faced its prey and sprang forward for the kill. He almost didn't hear Hermione's next instruction, too caught up in the yellow-brown eyes of the coyote as it raised its head to challenge its enemy.

"Now keep your eyes closed and point your wand at the middle of the clearing, and repeat after me, factus est in animali!"

"Factus est in animali!" Four voices chanted. A russet coloured light shot out of Hermione's wand, followed by white from Neville, silver from Ron and gold from Harry. All four shook from the force of the spell. Harry felt a portion of his magic stream out of his want and gasped, opening his eyes. The colours swirled in the air, dancing, twirling around each other, when, finally, they blended together in a seamless ball. It hovered in the air and Harry's wand was almost torn from his hands when it exploded, sparks flying everywhere. Four remaining glowing balls shot toward each of their casters. Harry's golden one passed through him and settled in his magical core, joining and becoming a part of him.

Harry's eyes rolled back when the transformation started. His skull deformed and reformes, taking up the shape of a coyotes. His eyes shifted and the initial discomfort becane a searing pain. Dull stars burst in his vision when the pain burned into his legs as they shortened. He fell onto all fours and groaned when his limbs clicked into place. It nearly unbalanced him and as soon as it finished his back straightened and his spine lifted. A scream ripped itself out of his hoarse throat when his back ached and a tail grew. The process was excruciatingly slow and he rocked forward when his hands and feet moulded into paws. An itch broke over his body as fur began to sprout. His hair shrank into his head and regrew in a different colour. It was terrible. It was unbearable. It was worse than a Cruciatus curse.

Harry felt as if he was poised before a huge leap over a chasm that would decide if he would become an animal or not. He swayed and his four legs trembled as they struggled to hold up his body. He pushed off with all of his remaining strength in his minds eye. He sailed toward the other side, almost flying through the air, almost reaching it, almost, almost. He grit his teeth as he thought of his patrons, filling him with warmth and strength at times when he most needed it. It gave him enough mental support for him to tumble onto the other side of the chasm in his mind.

Then his poor soul couldn't take it anymore and he fell into dark, soothing, unconsciousness.   
Falling...   
Falling....  
Falling.....


	6. The Room of Requirement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Room serves a different purpose now...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY that I didn't post last week, I had holiday tutoring (ugh!) but it's done now, so I'll post a chapter tomorrow to make up for my lateness.  
> Also, on my profile you can find out how to email me if you want to chat, and there's a vote about whether or not I should write an Undertale Fanfic. Please go check it out; I want to have your guys' opinion!  
> Anyone who would like to Beta my work would also be greatly appreciated!  
> Enjoy the chapter!

Harry groaned in pain and flipped over onto his paws. Wait, paws?! He looked down in alarm. He had paws! He looked back and saw the fur of a coyotes covering his back.

"I'm a coyote!" He barked in surprise. The others were also stirring. He could see an elegant fox already on her feet, russet coloured fur gleaming. he assumed this was Hermione, as always, having mastered the spell long before anyone else did. She was staring at him strangely. He looked at a majestic snow leopard flashing it's grey and white fur. Ron was also staring at him.

A rather feather ruffled owl was shaking its head, looking very dazed. Harry reckoned that that was Neville. His eyes were sore the more he opened them and he felt a strange tug towards the forest. He growled in discomfort and backed away subconsciously tucking himself behind a tree. He saw that Ron was doing the same and Neville was flapping his wings, obviously following his owlish instincts. Hermione's gaze, however, remained on Harry and she tucked her paws neatly beneath her as she sat down.

"Harry." She said. Harry looked at her in surprise. "Harry. What did you do?"

He was confused. "I thought of a coyote, blacked out, then woke up like the rest of you! Why?"

Hermione sighed. "Did you think of a stag?"

"A stag... That's my patronus, right? I thought of my patronus... What's wrong?"

There was a pause where even Neville stopped fidgeting. Eventually Hermione answered him.

"Take a look at yourself, Harry." After she said that a puddle of clear, shimmering water appeared beside Harry. He didn't know if he wanted to look at himself. He edged his way over and peered nervously at his reflection. He nearly choked in surprise. Instead of a coyote's face, he had a stag's face and neck! He stumbled back a few steps.

"Oh Merlin! What am I going to do?" He cried. He noticed that his voice had changed from a growl to a stag's voice.

Hermione made her way over to him and studied him closely. "Well, according to the book, you're supposed to become the animal you think about. And since you thought about both the coyote and a stag, then it's likely that you will be-"

"Half coyote half stag?!" Ron mewed in disbelief.

"Poor you, Harry!" Neville hooted.

Hermione cleared her throat. "As I was saying, Harry, it is likely that you will be able to become both the stag and the coyote. You just have to think of each of them detailedly so your magic doesn't get confused, like right now."

"So how do I change back?" Harry barked.

"Umm... You just think of yourself and think Factus Est Homo," Hermione told him, "And hopefully it will work!"

Harry closed his eyes and thought of him, average height, black messy hair, lightning scar, Lily's eyes, Gryffindor robes... Factus Est Homo! Nothing happened. Factus Est Homo! facts Est Homo! Factus Est Homo! Factus Est- He felt the same agony as his bones shifted and reshaped. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and curled himself into a ball. He felt himself growing and straightening. His hair sprouted on his head and his paws went back into fingers. lastly, his back paws changed into human feet. He moaned as his spine clicked into place and rubbed his temples, trying to get rid of the lingering pain. After a few seconds it faded away.

Harry opened his eyes and saw a big, hairy face right in front of him. He screamed and started backwards, whipping out his wand and pointing it forward. Then he recognised the eyes and lowered it. Ron and his pranks! He was getting more like Fred and George by the minute.

"Hey! Not funny, Ron!" He scowled and tried to imitate Professor Snape. Judging by the looks of barely compressed laughter, his friends were very amused by his attempt. "Come on, guys, change back! I want to get to bed sometime tonight." Hermione nodded and changed back with a quiet pop. Ron managed to do it but Neville failed miserably. He squawked in despair after about 5 minutes of trying.

"Here, let me help," Hermione offered. Neville gratefully fluttered wobblyly onto her outstretched wand. He sat down and closed his large eyes again. A moment later and he tumbled off the wand, squawking something again. Then he fell onto the snowy ground with a thud and he began hanging back too.

"Someone's heading toward us!" He croaked.

Hermione turned towards Harry. "Quick, your invisibility cloak!" Harry rummaged in his robe and his hand closed around the silky material. He threw it out and Ron crouched behind Neville. Hermione, instead, chose to transform into a fox again and she raced off into the trees, her paw steps barely audible. Harry now heard the crunch of snow as someone walked towards their clearing. He draped the cloak over Ron and Neville and concentrated hard on his coyote Animagus.

"You guys, follow Hermione!" He whispered. He thought the spell and he fell onto all fours.

He immediately felt the pain and changed quicker than last time, the bones grinding together and fur sprouting.

He ducked behind a tree as the figure emerged into the clearing. He held his breath and wished for a small puddle beside him. He looked at his reflection and noticed that he had fully changed into a coyote, not a stag. He wished it away and looked back at the clearing. He saw a trail of footsteps left by Neville and Ron. Panicked, he scooped snow over them discreetly. his ears twitched back toward the clearing and heard the creaking of one of the logs as someone sat on them. He finished covering the footsteps and looked back at who the person was.

The white-blond hair immediately revealed the identity. What is Malfoy doing here? He didn't follow us, did he? Harry thought. Then Draco spoke. His voice wasn't the demanding one he used in Slytherin, or the insulting voice he used to snarl at Harry or his friends.

"..." He mumbled something to himself. Harry's ears pricked and his hyper-hearing picked up on the words.

"Tomorrow is my first session with Potter about our bond." He murmured. "Why do I find myself not hating it? Why would I spend two whole periods with Scarhead? It's just wasting my time!" He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. Harry's eyes widened. The Slytherin Prince having imperfect hair was not something he had ever wanted to see.

"He's actually okay to be around, you know." Malfoy seemed to use some sort of spell. A pale person sat opposite from him on a log. It was like a pensive in some ways, Harry decided. There were some colours swirling around in it. He could see green, black, orange and light, very light pink. If he had been a human he would not have noticed it, but since he was a dog, he could see things that the human eye missed. It seemed that not even Malfoy knew it was there. Harry stared at the 'person'. It seemed to record what Malfoy said and colour each piece of information a different colour depending on his mood. There was one little fragment of pink, Harry counted.

"I wish I hadn't messed up the first time we met." Malfoy paused. "Or on the train. Damn father and his teachings. He said that the Weasley family was just like Mudbloods. I don't get what's wrong with them, but you know what father does when I disagree. He once gave me the Crucio curse for patting Dobby. I was only 4 then. Life is so unfair sometimes."

Harry frowned. There was black and blue pouring into the person now.

"Ugh. And then Granger had to teach them how to be Animaguses. It's going to be much harder to spy on them now." He buried his face in his hands and flicked his wand. The person disappeared and he changed smoothly into a white owl, just like Hedwig. In fact, identical to Hedwig. He flew into the air and soared gracefully towards what Harry assumed was the door.

Harry padded towards the log where Malfoy had sat on. He sniffed around and found that a small stone had been left under the log. It glimmered with many colours. Harry assumed that it was Malfoy's. He picked it up in his mouth and ran off towards the door. It was still warm where Malfoy had held it. Harry tried not to lick the stone and reached the door. Now, how do I get out? he wondered.

He pressed his nose to the door and nudged it slightly. It swung open and he went through. Harry decided that he would just put the stone in Malfoy's robe pocket. He raced silently to the dragon. It was curled up and snoring little puffs of steam. Harry changed back to a human and held the stone tightly.

"Dragon Emerald," He hissed. The dragon's tail twitched in its sleep and the door opened to let him through. He closed it quietly behind him and walked to Malfoy's door. It was typical Slytherin colour. Harry hesitated before opening it. Thank Merlin he's not in there! He thought. He looked around the room. It was exactly like his. A robe was hung neatly the back of a chair and Harry approached it. He swept his wand over it to check for spells and found none. While he was putting it back in his pocket, he accidentally brushed it on the stone.

The same person that he had seen in the Room Of Requirement's clearing appeared. Harry paused. He knew he should put it back, but he was curious as to what the pink stood for. He looked carefully but he couldn't find it anywhere. He groaned and changed into his coyote again. Now he could see it, right in the centre of where the heart would be. He raised his paw and tapped on it gently. It swirled around and popped out. He heard Malfoy's voice say something too quiet even for his coyote form to hear.

He tapped on it again and pressed his ear right up against it. He heard the start of it. It sounded a lot like "If only..." Harry prepared to press it again when he heard Malfoy's voice arguing with the dragon. He changed back quickly and painfully and tapped the stone with his wand again. The figure disappeared and he slipped it into Malfoy's robe pocket as he had planned. He then tiptoed out and closed the door quietly behind him. He slipped into his room just as Malfoy stormed in. Peeking through a crack under his door Harry saw him slam the door closed as Malfoy went into his room.

"Ah, good. I thought I had lost you, stone. What would I do if Potter got hold of this?" His voice drifted through the two doors.

What could be in that stone that is so important? Is it about the pink piece? Could that have been about... me? Harry thought. He had to find out some way or another. And somehow now he knew Malfoy had a heart, maybe living with him wouldn't be as bad that Harry would want to switch with Pansy.


	7. A New Appearance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY for not posting earlier guys. My grandma recently fell ill, and I was visiting her at hospital every day. Then my brother got sick too, now I'm sick. Again, I'm so sorry for the delay.

The ease in which he had transformed into his Animagus form seemed to be a reward for the pain he had experienced the first time. When Harry looked in the mirror that morning, he nearly jumped out of his skin. He stared in shock at his reflection and his eyes widened in horror. He gingerly touched his face.

"Oh my GOSH!" He exclaimed in panic. How was he meant to see anyone like this? It would be all too obvious that he was training to be an Animagus, and the Ministry would register him, and the papers would paste his photo on the front page, and the whole point of being able to escape any threats quickly and discreetly would be as useful as shredded dragon scales.

He frantically grabbed his wand and a sharp pain shot up his right hand. He cursed himself and cast a Tempus charm quickly. He almost sighed in relief when it read 6:00. He could hopefully slip into Hermione and Ron's rooms without being seen. His left hand ached and he winced. He couldn't even hold his wand properly- his right hand was shaking weakly. Harry hurried to his wardrobe and carefully put on his Gryffindor uniform. He didn't even bother to look at his hair before he threw the hood of his cloak up. Thankfully it covered most of his face. He slipped his wand in his pocket and got out of the room after a brief struggle with the doorknob.

He peeked his head out to check if Malfoy was in the room. It was good that he wasn't- he was the last person Harry wanted to see in his current condition. He opened the door with more success this time and he stepped out into the corridor.

Was there anybody there? No. Was anyone going to come? He listened carefully. No. He closed the door behind him and said a brief hello to the dragon, then he headed to Hermione and Ron's room door. Then he stopped abruptly. All he knew was that they had to live close to his rooms if they could hear him and Malfoy fighting. He looked around, unsure of what to do. Then his eye caught on something. There was the snake that Claw had talked about! Perhaps it guarded Hermione and Ron's rooms? He prayed to Merlin that it did.

"Umm... Hello, snake. I'm Harry Potter and I am a bit lost, could you help me?" he asked politely.

The snake yawned and uncoiled itself. It stared at him for a few seconds, blinking. "Pleased to meet you, Harry. Claw has told me much about you, though, if I may say so, you do look rather strange today."

Harry flushed. "Yes, I need to find some friends who can help me called Hermione Granger and Ron Weasely. Do you know where their rooms are?"

The snake flicked it's tail. "Why, yes. Although they are not blessed enough to speak my language, they are very nice. I guard their door, as a matter of fact. Do you know the password?"

Harry shook his head and fidgeted nervously. How am I meant to get in? I'm so stupid, I forgot to ask them! "Erm... No, sorry. We just moved into our rooms recently, and I haven't asked them yet."

The snake tipped its head to the side, seeming to consider something. "Well, I suppose I can trust you. The password is Chocolate Weasel."

The door behind the snake swung open. Harry couldn't believe it. "Th-thank you very much!" He stuttered. The snake chuckled Dumbledore-like.

"You're welcome, fellow Gryffindor." It looked at Harry expectantly. Harry muttered another quick thank you before he walked into the room. The door swung closed behind him. There was soft red velvet carpet underfoot, with the classic Gryffindor gold on the wall. The ceiling, however, was a pretty swirl of colours from all the houses. The furniture was identical to his rooms, however. When Harry finished looking around he listened carefully and instinctively pricked his ears. He frowned in annoyance and concentrated. He could hear muffled exclamations that must've belonged to Ron, and a second later the right door burst open and a very flustered Ron almost tripped on his way out.

"Oi, Hermione! 'Mione! What's happened? I need help over here!" He shouted. His hair was a mess, almost rivalling Harry's wild mop. He appeared to be in his pyjamas, still. He was just about to pound on the left door, Hermione's, Harry assumed, when he realised he wasn't alone.

"Harry! What are you doing here? How did you get in?" He yelped.

Harry replied in a clamer manner. "The snake let me in! I need you and Hermione's help." Then he noticed that Ron was in the same situation, except much worse. He burst out laughing and his hood fell down as he revealed what he looked like. Ron released a breath.

"I was hoping I wasn't the only one!" He said, relieved. Harry's laughter ceased slowly. When he was able to form a coherent word, he asked, "Why don't we get 'Mione to help us?"

Ron thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah, that's what I was going to do before, wasn't I?" He turned back to Hermione's door. He knocked impatiently. "Hey, 'Mione! Come out!" There was no reply. He tried again, knocking four times. "Hey, open up, 'Mione, or we're coming in!"

There was a small squeak that Harry's keen ears picked up. Ron sighed and entered Hermione's room, Harry following him. The sight before them was slightly surprising. Hermione was dabbing at her cheek with her wand, which acted like a wet tissue at the tip. There was a tube of mascara on the table, next to neat piles of books rigid in rows of respect. It appeared that Hermione also had the same problem as them.

"Hermione!" Ron gasped, surprised.

"You never wear makeup!" Harry said. Then he came to an awful realisation. If even Hermione had to use make up, which she hated, to cover it up, then what were he and Ron supposed to do?

Hermione groaned in annoyance. "Follow me outside, boys." She demanded. "You don't just barge into someone's room like that!"

Ron and Harry exchanged a look. "Sorry, Hermione." They chorused. She sat down in one of the chairs and crossed her legs. She inspected Ron first.

"You make such a big commotion sometimes, you know, Ron."

The sleek fur that looked magnificent on his snow leopard form clashed horribly with his red hair. It was a shorter version but it covered his entire face, even his ears. He looked like something the first years would have magiced up in Hagrid's class. "Do you know any way to cut it off? I've tried ten razors already!"

Hermione looked disappointed. "Sorry, Ron, but I forgot to warn you. The first day, you can change really easily. It's just giving you an idea of what it's like. The morning after, you will feel pain in the places you put more weight on than you are used to." That would explain my hands, Harry thought. "And also, the day after, you will experience some, *ahem*, slight changes in your appearance based on the animal you chose for a week." She rolled her eyes at his disbelieving look and gaping mouth.

She turned to Harry and held back a gasp. He had the yellow-brown eyes of a coyote, still with a lingering predatory look. He also had the elegantly curved ears of a stag. It was a weird combination, but not as bad as Ron's face.

Ron scowled. "It's not fair! How come Harry gets better hearing and eyesight while I just have a big furry face?"

"Stop complaining, Ron." Hermione said. "We'll have trouble hiding those ears of yours, Harry. You'll just have to wear a hood all day, then. I can put a charm on them so anyone looking wouldn't notice the fur if they weren't looking closely. Your eyes, however, I can't change that with magic because the changes can't be hidden completely. But you can see alright, can't you?" She asked.

Now that he thought about it, Harry recalled, this morning he could see perfectly well without his glasses. He was just too distracted to notice. "So what do I do now?" He looked at Hermione hopelessly. Surely everyone in the school would notice his eye colour change!

"Well," Hermione thought, "You could wear your glasses and cast a reflecting spell, so the light will hopefully disguise you well enough."

"But what about me?" Ron wailed. "I can't cover it up with make up like you!" Hermione turned back to him.

"Just do a glamour charm on your face, then maybe all the glamour will cover it up. Or you could wear a mask all week- your choice!" She said brightly.

Ron groaned.  
Hermione then frowned. "Come to think of it, you would fare better if I did the spell." She reached for her wand.

"Guys," Harry interrupted, "We've got breakfast in two minutes!"

Ron groaned again, reminded of the humiliation looming in the horizon.

The trio just had time to finish their disguises before they headed out to the Great Hall. Amongst the many people crowding the corridor, it seemed that their disguises were working pretty well.

Just when they rounded a corner, Harry stopped short as he remebered something very important.


End file.
